Soul Mates
by PrincessTadashi
Summary: Fred's family protects mythical creatures, helping them survive in a modern world that rejects them as freaks and keeping them safe from poachers. Then one day Fred breaks the one rule his father set for him: he actually falls for one of the creatures he's supposed to be protecting, a kitsune named Tadashi, who might have more on his mind than just casual dating. (Fredashi)
1. Chapter 1

Centuries ago, mythical creatures were plentiful on the Earth. Most stayed to their own territories, creating families, packs, and occasionally small communities. In some blessed eras, when there were extended periods of peace, mythical creatures even mingled with and sometimes formed friendship and alliances with humans. Unfortunately, some chose to take advantage of these peace times to harm the mythical beings in their midst-poachers who put the value of a rare pelt or some powerful potion ingredient over the value of another life. What followed was sometimes war, but more often than not the mythical beings would retreat to their safe havens, swearing to never trust humans again. Sadly, as time passed, many species began to fall prey to extinction, either due to changing atmospheres, deforestation, or, more terribly, these same poachers who continued to track them down to their secret homes. Eventually the mythical creatures became so sparse or else hid themselves so well that most humans came to believe that they no longer existed, if they had ever existed at all. Still, there were those who still believed, and there were many of them who sought to gain what they could from the last few surviving remnants.

But in this darkness that had fallen over what might have been considered the twilight years of the mythical realm, there was one bright spot-a movement to seek out the remaining mythical creatures and move them to safety, mainstreaming those who could pass as human into modern society and finding clever ways to hide those who couldn't. And who were these soldiers, these warriors, who were willing to put themselves in the line of fire to protect these creatures from those who would wish to do them harm? There were many, but one of them most pure-hearted and determined was a boy named Fred Lee. This is his story.

Fred started out the day in his normal fashion-eating breakfast alone in the kitchen before heading down to headquarters to begin his rounds. His father had already eaten hours earlier-he always awoke at the crack of dawn, something Fred aspired to but so far wasn't able to quite manage. Still, by eight am the center underneath the house was buzzing with life and activity, and by the time Fred arrived the day's activities were already well under way.

No one knew what really lay behind the exterior of the stately mansion at the edge of San Fransokyo's higher end district. It was known to be the home of the philanthropist Stan Lee, and on the surface level it looked much like the home of any other wealthy citizen, if perhaps with a bit more old-world charm than most. What was unknown to most was that, underneath the house, in a whole network of underground warrens and tunnels, was a high-tech facility devoted to the protection and rehabilitation of mythical creatures. Ever since Fred could remember, the center had been there, helping creatures who had been rescued from the many poachers who were still out there and offering shelter to those beings who had heard of their kindness and wanted their help. There were state-of-the-art medical facilities, rooms created to accommodate the needs of any of their special "guests" while they were in transition, a whole map and computer room dedicated to tracking the activities of known poachers and also locating possible spots where mythical creatures might be living in hopes of preemptively offering them help, and, the rooms where Fred spent most of his time, the rehabilitation center. Some might call what he did "occupational therapy"-in essence, he helped mythical creatures learn how to blend in with the modern human world, how to function in society while still remaining true to their heritage and being proud of who and what they were. Fred knew that what he did was important. He did. He'd made many, many friends over the years and he knew he was beyond blessed to have met so many fascinating creatures, heard their stories, and seen them go on to live full, happy lives in safe new environments. Still, some days he couldn't help but wonder if his work was near as important as those of the teams, often spearheaded by his own dad, who went out all over the world, rescuing and offering aid to those mythical creatures in need. It all sounded so much more exciting than teaching nixies how to use utensils and showing fawns how to file tax returns for the jobs that the organization managed to secure for them. But his father absolutely refused to let him go anywhere near the line of danger, and understandably so ever since they had lost Fred's mother when the boy had been barely a year old. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was meant for something more.

He was just in the middle of a class on social etiquette for some of the adult creatures looking to be transitioned into the monitored homes that the Lees had set up all over the city (they usually started them out there before letting them move to places more suited to their needs and preferences-of course still keeping light tabs on them for as long as they felt necessary to ensure their safety) and looking forward to an afternoon working in the day care center (he loved getting to play with all the young creatures as much as they loved having him there) when he received an unexpected message that his dad needed to see him in the main headquarters.

Not sure of what to expect and thinking that it must be important if he was actually calling for him, Fred leaves the class in the capable hands of a manticore who had stayed on with the Lees (it wasn't uncommon for them to let mythical creatures who wanted a chance to help others like themselves take on jobs here at the center) before heading to where his father was waiting for him.

"Ah, Frederick," Mr. Lee greets him when he walks through the sliding doors.

"Hey Dad," Fred answers, giving him a respectful nod-he and his dad weren't particularly affectionate with each other, and Fred often saw him more as the others did, as "the General", than as a paternal figure. Noting that his father was dressed in camo fatigues, he gathered that he was just getting ready to head out or had just returned from a mission.

"You called for me?" he prompts when Mr. Lee fails to say anything more for a minute, just silently staring at him with a slightly distant expression. He knew that look-those who had known Fred's mother often said that he looked a lot like her and he had come to gather that sometimes when his father was looking at him, he wasn't actually looking at him but remembering his deceased wife. It used to weird Fred out, and even make him slightly annoyed-why couldn't his dad see the son in front of him instead of being stuck in the past?-but he'd finally become resigned to it and he just tried not to think too much about it when he could help it.

"Oh, yes," Mr. Lee answers, seeming to come out of a slight daze. "We are in need your… special set of skills."

"We"-it was always "we" with his dad. Would it kill him to just say for once, " _I_ need your help?"

Still, this was exciting news for Fred-his dad actually needed his help! He tried not to get his hopes too far up as he asks, "D-do you need me for a mission?"

It was a good thing that he hadn't gotten himself to excited as the first word out of his father's mouth was a stern, almost cold, "No."

Fred tries not to flinch at the obvious disapproval on the other man's face. Hey, it had been worth a shot.

He watches as his father quickly schools his expression back into his usual calm, slightly detached look before saying, "We need some help with the recent arrivals. They were being hunted by poachers in the mountains of Japan, and while we managed to get to them in time, I don't believe they trust us as of yet. They had to be sedated for the trip over, and the younger one is still sleeping, but the older one is awake and seems to be under the unfortunate opinion that we are working with the poachers, or else have our own horrible plans for them. Some of the team have tried talking to them, but no they haven't had much luck. We know that you tend to have better luck of getting through to our... harder cases and were wondering if you'd be willing to help."

It wasn't so much of a request as an order, and Fred knew he couldn't turn it down. Still, he didn't mind as much as he might have if it had been something he'd disliked doing. The truth was he often enjoyed getting to know the newcomers, particularly those who were what his dad called "harder cases". It was something of a challenge for him, and, as his father had said, he did seem to have a knack of getting past most barriers to show the suspicious parties that they meant them no harm and actually wanted to help them. It was also times like these that made him feel like what he was doing here actually had a purpose-that he could do something that most others couldn't and so he was actually a valuable part of this operation.

"Sure," Fred answers, nodding to show his dad that he was willing. "I'm more than happy to help."

"Excellent!" Mr. Lee beams down at him, and for just a moment Fred feels his chest fill with joy at the fact that he'd actually gotten his father to be proud of him. But the moment quickly passes as the other man continues, "They're in holding area B. I trust you know the way?"

"R-right," Fred agrees, trying not to sigh audibly. His dad wasn't even going to walk him over, to tell him the details of the trip? Well, he honestly hadn't expected him to, but it would have been nice all the same. Just as he's turning to go, however, he thinks to ask, "Um, dad?"  
"Mm?" Mr. Lee looks up from the clipboard he was currently examining, as if he'd already forgotten that his son was there.

"What exactly am I dealing with?" Fred asks, not wanting to go in completely unprepared.

"Kitsune," Mr. Lee answers after a moment. "It's a pair of kitsune."

Fred stops outside the door to holding area B. He'd used to hate these things-he thought it was like putting someone in jail for a crime they hadn't committed. As he'd gotten older, however, he'd come to see the wisdom of them-when creatures were scared or upset, they could cause large amounts of damage, and it was better to keep them isolated until they could make sure that they knew they weren't a threat. His father would never let him go into a holding area with a creature he thought was truly dangerous, at least not without supervision. Kitsune, however, weren't exactly a major threat. They could be mischievous, yes, but hardly ever tried to purposefully harm someone unless they felt they were being truly threatened, and Fred was pretty much the least threatening person on the planet. Still, the young man prepares himself for a potentially turbulent session as he scans his access card that caused the door to open and allowed him inside.

His heart sank slightly at the sight in front of him. A kennel. Really? Was that necessary? It turned his stomach to see mythical creature put into anything even remotely resembling a cage-and with good reason-but given the appearance of the kennel's current inhabitants, he could somewhat understand why they'd chosen to do so. On the bottom of the cage lay a boy-he looked to be in his early teens or possibly younger with his tiny, almost frail structure, floppy black hair obscuring his face. Unlike normal teens, though, where human ears should have been he had the furry, reddish-colored ears of a fox and a long bushy tail of the same color that poked out from beneath what looked like a traditional Japanese yukata. The only explanation Fred could come up with was that either the boy was too young to know how to fully shape-shift yet or had been sedated mid-transformation. He didn't appear to be too much of a threat. What-or, more appropriately, _who_ , Fred reminded himself (mythical creatures deserved to be treated just as much as people as humans did)-worried him more was the other fox in the cage. This kitsune was in full fox form-slightly larger than the average fox, his wide golden eyes full of either anger or fear (both emotions equally as dangerous.) He was pacing back and forth in the small space that he had available to him, alternately pawing at the lock on the door as if trying to get it off and then worriedly licking at his cell mate's face. When Fred entered the room, the fox instantly turned on him, the fur on its back and tail sticking up even as its lips pull back to reveal sharp canine teeth, a low, guttural growl emanating from its throat.

"Hey. it's okay." Fred approaches the kennel cautiously, keeping his pace slow and his voice calm, doing his best not to show fear while also not wanting to do anything to to scare the fox. The kitsune momentarily starts to back away before shaking it's head and planting itself firmly in front of the comatose boy, growling even more fiercely.

"Whoa." Fred puts his hands up in an almost "I surrender" gesture, wanting to show the kitsune that he meant no harm. "I swear, I don't want to hurt you. I just want to talk to you. Is that okay?"

The fox didn't back down, but the growling at least momentarily ceases as it observes the man suspiciously.

Feeling that it would be better to get down to the kitsune's level, Fred drops to his knees about four feet from the cage-he didn't want to invade the fox's "territory"-and says softly, "Okay. First question-can you actually understand me?"

Given they were from Japan, Fred had to wonder if the fox might only know Japanese, in which case he'd have to pull on his rather limited knowledge of the language or else have to call in someone who was more fluent than he was.

After a moment, the fox just barely moves its head, nodding a "yes".

"Okay, excellent!" Fred can't help but feel relieved at that. Apparently somewhere the kitsune had learned English, so that was going to make this a lot easier.

"All right," he continues, starting to reach for the lock on the kennel. "I can't imagine you like being in there, and, honestly I don't like seeing someone like you being stuck in a cage either. So here's what I'm going to do-I'm going to let you out, but I'm going to need you to transform into human, if you can do that, so we can actually talk and so you can show me you're not going to try to hurt me while I'm trying to help you."

The kitsune's ears go flat and it lets out a tiny growl in response.

"Hey, that's my offer," Fred answers, not willing to back down. "Either you work with me or we both end up with an outcome neither of us likes. I swear, I'm not trying to hurt you-I just want to talk."

After seeming to consider the man's words for a minute, the fox finally nods ever so slightly again.

"Awesome." Fred gives him a grin before using his access card to undo the lock on the cage. He holds the door shut with his hands, though, as he adds, "Remember your promise. I'm keeping my part of the deal, you have to keep yours."

The fox appears to almost roll its eyes at him, but it nods again and Fred swings the door fully open.

The kitsune tentatively steps one paw out of the kennel, its eyes darting around and its nose quivering as it surveys the surrounding area, obviously expecting some sort of trap. Fred forces himself to remain completely still, hardly even daring to breathe and risk startling the creature as it slowly steps out into the main room. Its movements are hesitant but graceful, almost reminding the man of what it would look like if a silk scarf had come to life. The fox doesn't move immediately towards him-instead it cautiously moves about a yard to the side of the kennel, and Fred allows it to explore, to see for itself that there weren't any traps or dangers waiting for it. He was just starting to wonder if the kitsune was actually going to keep its promise or stay in fox form when suddenly he sees a small tremor go through the creature's form and, moments later, it starts its metamorphosis. It took only moments-it was so fast, in fact, that Fred could barely see it happening. Before he could even blink the fox was gone and there was a young man about his own age crouching there in its place.

 _Oh. Gosh._ Fred had honestly met some mythical creatures that could have been considered attractive before-with all the mermaids and wood sprites and other spirits who had come through here, it was kind of hard not to. But he'd never actually felt personally attracted to one. Not until now, that is. He knew it was a stupid idea-his father had often warned him that they were dealing with wild creatures who, as human as they could appear, were very different from them and would only break his heart. But it wasn't like Fred had made the choice. He just saw the beautiful man in front of him and he knew that he'd fallen for him. Broad shouldered yet still somehow delicately graceful, his soft black hair fell over two pools of liquid brown, his human ears large enough to be slightly absurd but somehow adorable at the same time. Fred could only feel grateful that when he had transformed a yukata much like the younger boy's had appeared to clothe the kitsune (Fred had known human-esque creatures like selkies to be perfectly fine with going naked, and that was definitely not a problem he wanted to deal with right now.) As it was, he was having something of a hard time remembering exactly what he was doing here until the other man (fox?) let out a low growl that brought him back to the reality of the moment. Right. Now wasn't the time for school boy crushes, especially if the angry and slightly feral look on the other man's face was any sign that the feelings definitely were _not_ mutual.

"All right, um, thank you for being willing to-ah, cooperate," Fred says, trying not to stumble over his words. "I guess I should start out with the introductions. I'm Fred, and-"

"Why did you bring us here?" the other man hisses, his beautiful eyes narrowing.

"Well, um-"

"If you were going to skin us for our pelts, you would have done it long ago," the other man growls. "So what is your trade? Do you intend to sell us to someone who wants us alive?"

"What? No!" Fred cries.

"Then what is it that you want from us?" the other man demands, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Nothing! We just want to help!" Fred answers. "I swear, we don't mean you any harm!"

"If you don't mean us any harm, then what did you do to my brother?" the other man growls back at him.

Brother? Fred quickly looks between the teen in the cage and the man in front of him, his mind sparking with understanding. They were brothers! No wonder the elder kitsune was being so protective-he would be too if he had a sibling and had woken up locked in a cage to find them unconscious.

"I-I'm really, really sorry about that," Fred apologizes. "I wasn't responsible for that, and I definitely don't approve of it, but you were both sedated."

"Sedated?" The other man's nose wrinkles up in confusion, only for the expression to quickly switch to anger. "And that's supposed to make me think we can trust you, when you treat us like animals?"

"Like I said, I'm really, really sorry," Fred says, truly meaning it. "I guess the team was trying to get you away from the poachers and they thought you'd fight them while they were trying to help you. It was still really messed up, though, and I apologize. No one deserves to be treated like that."

The other man seems to be considering his words. He obviously doesn't fully trust him yet, but he asks stiffly, "Where are we?"

"San Fransokyo," Fred answers, glad to be moving onto safer topics.

"I don't know the name," the kitsune replies, his tone still cold but slight fear appearing in his eyes, apparently the truth that he was far from home-or what had been his home-starting to set in.

"More importantly, you're in the Center for Mythological Creatures' Preservation and Rehabilitation-which is honestly just a really long name to say this is a place where all sorts of mythical creature come or are brought for help when their homes are invaded and their lives are threatened," Fred explains.

"I-I don't understand," the other man says slowly before growling, "You say you're trying to help us, but all I see is someone who took me and my brother from our home and brought us here against our will!"

"You were only brought here because it's not safe for you to stay where you were!" Fred answers. "Poachers had found your territory, and even if we'd stopped those ones, more would have come looking for you!"

"I have survived in the wild for nineteen years, I think we could have evaded capture!" the man spits back.

"The evidence says otherwise-if it hadn't been for my dad and his team, you and your brother probably would be pelts by now," Fred answers flatly. He hated going there, but apparently this was going to take some tough love. "So if that's what you want, then fine, we'll gladly hand you back over to the poachers!"

The kitsune's eyes flash dangerously, but then his gaze shifts over to his still sleeping brother and he lets out a low sigh combined with a growl. "Thank you for saving us, at least," he finally says. "We owe you a debt of gratitude for that. But you must understand that we have been given very little reason to trust humans until now."

Fred weighs his options. Technically what he was about to do was something his father had forbidden him to do-he said it put him at risk, the more people who knew, and only a very few people who had known his mother while she was still alive knew the truth about him. There were other ways to convince the kitsune that they could be trusted, but those ways would take time and effort and, the truth was, he wanted the fox to trust him as soon as possible. More than that, he wanted him to see that they weren't that different. In an odd way, he almost wanted to maybe finally have someone accept him for who and what he was-to see that he was a part of the world of the creatures he'd been sworn to protect, not just some kid who was always watching from the sidelines but never allowed to actually join in no matter how much he wanted to.

"If you're worried about trusting humans," Fred finally says, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "then you don't have to worry about me. I'm not human either."

"W-what?" The other man's eyes widen with surprise and then narrow with suspicion. "Show me," he quietly demands.

"Gladly." Fred grins, already feeling his body tingling with anticipation. He backed up a little ways, allowing himself more room, before starting the transition. It's almost like an intense itch as his skin first turns golden and then melts, morphing into scales as hard as diamonds. Meanwhile the rest of his body stretches and lengthens, his limbs shortening and his nose and mouth elongating into a snout. The transformation ends when his tail finally forms, and there he was-in his true, or other form, depending on how you looked at it.

" _Ryu_ ," the kitsune breathes, staring at him first in shock and then a light entering his eyes that had up to this point been filled only with dark suspicion. He quickly morphs back into fox form but the smile is still evident on his face as he says, "Y-you're one of us!"  
"Close enough," Fred agrees with a grin of his own.

"A dragon!" The fox lets out a yipping laugh. "But how-?"

"Technically I'm only half dragon," Fred admits, his smile dimming slightly. "My mom was one."

"Was-?" the kitsune asks, his tiny fox brow furrowing in concern.

"She died when I was barely hatched, saving a tanuki nest," Fred answers quietly. "My dad met her when he was training at a temple in Japan. He was just trying to master martial arts, but one day while he was out meditating, he heard crashing in the forest and he found poachers who were trying to capture and probably kill my mom. He fought them off and she had just enough energy to transform into a human so he could carry her back to the temple. He nursed her back to health, and while she was healing they fell in love. They were married by the monks there, and after that they decided that they both wanted to spend the rest of their lives protecting other mythical creatures. They started out there in Japan, but soon they started following poachers to other countries and things just spread. Eventually they ended up creating a base here in San Fransokyo so they could have somewhere safe for the creatures they saved to come that was far away from where most of the poachers are still hunting for mythical beings. When my mom died, though… Things changed. I know my mom never would have used force to take creatures from their homes, even if they were in danger. She was just great at talking to people and finding good solutions that didn't always result in them having to be taken here and forced into being mainstreamed into human society. But I guess once my dad saw what the poachers were willing to do, the lengths they were willing to go to, he decided to take more… drastic measures to make sure that no one else died if he could prevent it."

"I see…" The kitsune swishes its tail slowly, thoughtfully, before saying softly, "I'm sorry about your mother. Hiro and my parents were killed by poachers when I was eight… Hiro was only a kit then, he barely even remembers them."

"Hiro?" Fred asks before feeling a park of understanding. "Is that your little brother?"

"My _otouto_ , yes," the fox answers, smiling warmly back at sleeping boy. "He's all I have left… I would do _anything_ to protect him."

"Which is why we want to do everything we can to make sure that you stay safe," Fred tells him.

"What exactly is going to happen to us, now that we're here?" the kitsune asks, turning back to him, no longer showing any signs of anger but more of fear for the future.

"Well…" Fred finds himself melting under that golden gaze but forces himself to stay coherent and answer, "Usually what we do is try to help newcomers learn how to blend in with the human world-it's the best line of defense we have right now. We give you a place to stay in the center until you're ready and then we help you find a home and employment out in the city. Um, your situation is a little different because I'm assuming that you're not exactly prepared to be on your own with just your little brother…"

"I've been taking care of him on my own for years!" the fox protests fiercely.

"And I'm not saying you can't do that out in the wild!" Fred hurries to reassure him. "But it's a little different in the human world-there's a lot of stuff you don't know!"

"I've been around humans before," the kitsune grumbles. "Hiro and I would sneak into villages sometimes to get supplies, and my parents would take me to festivals when I was a kit…"

"Trust me, having all of the adult responsibilities of the human world put on you all at once is a lot for anyone, even someone who's grown up in the human world," Fred answers gently. "But I'll tell you what-I know there's an older female kitsune who came through here a couple of years ago. She goes by the name 'Cass Hamada' now, and she owns a cafe called The Lucky Fox. Recently she told us that she would be more than happy to take on a boarder or two who needed somewhere to stay in exchange for helping her out with her restaurant. I think she's honestly kind of lonely, and maybe having other kitsunes living under the same roof…"

"It has it's… possibilities," the other fox agrees after a moment's consideration, his tail swishing thoughtfully.

"We don't have to have it all hammered out immediately," Fred promises him. "For now, I think we just need to focus on getting you two a nice hot meal and then a place to stay for the night, okay?"

"That actually sounds pretty good," the fox answers with a slight nod.

"Wonderful!" Fred smiles at him before allowing himself to transform back into human. "Um, it's probably best if we both leave as human-just so that everyone knows that you mean to be peaceful. I'm sorry, but especially since you're going to have to get used to being human…"

"Understood," the kitsune sighs before also transforming into his human form.

"I, um-I'd also appreciate it if you wouldn't tell my dad that I'd showed you that I was a dragon," Fred adds. "He… He doesn't like it if I do that, and he really doesn't want more people than necessary to know…"

"Why?" the fox (now man) asks with confusion.

"I… I guess he wants to 'protect' me or something," Fred sighs.

The kitsune considers this and then nods. "Given I owe you a debt of gratitude and as you are our ally, I will hold to your wishes."

"Thank you." Fred flashes him a grateful smile. Ally-it wasn't much, but it was definitely a start. "Um, by the way… What should I call you?" he thinks to ask, realizing that he didn't know the kitsune's name yet.

"Tadashi," the other man replies with a slight smile. "It's Tadashi."

Tadashi. Every bit as perfect as the rest of him, Fred thinks, his chest glowing slightly at the newfound knowledge.

Just then, the teen in the kennel starts squirming slightly, letting out a tiny moan.

"Hiro!" Tadahi quickly drops to his knees and reaches into the cage to pull his sibling out, cradling him close to his chest.

" _Nii-chan_?" the younger boy mumbles, blinking his eyes open and seeming to be struggling to focus on him. "Where-?"

"We're safe, otouto," Tadashi answers, gently kissing his brother's forehead before smiling up at Fred. "We're safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Six Months later…

Fred smiles as the Lucky Fox Cafe comes into view. It was a sight that had become very familiar to him over the past few months, ever since Tadashi and Hiro had moved in with Cassidy Hamada, posing as her recently orphaned nephews whom she was taking care of. The transition process for the two kitsune had gone surprisingly smoothly. Hiro had been the harder one to work with-even now he definitely still had strong fox tendencies and preferred to run around the house in fox or partial fox form whenever there wasn't any human company present. Still, he seemed to be adjusting fairly well to his new life, even proving himself to be an excellent student at the local high school despite little prior education (there was even talk of him skipping a grade or two considering how well he was doing academically.) He didn't have many friends (if any) but he didn't seem to mind as long as he had his older brother and newly adopted "Aunt" and that was more than enough for Fred to consider his transition a success.

Tadashi, for his part, had adapted to human life much quicker than Fred had expected. At first he seemed somewhat resistant to having to learn rules of social etiquette and things he didn't seem to see any practical purpose for. But then he had been assigned to work solely with Fred, and after a day or two there was drastic improvement in his performance-if anything, it seemed that every day he was eager to show the other man just how quickly he was learning. Fred didn't like to think too much about the fact that it might have been for his benefit that Tadashi was working so hard-it was too much to hope for, and he didn't like to try to read too much into things. As far as he'd seen, Tadashi only viewed him as a friend-a very close friend, maybe-and as time had passed he'd come to accept that. Still…

Fred finds himself frowning slightly as he considers the events of the previous few weeks. Tadashi had always seemed to like to stick close to him, not caring to associate much with others outside of his family (both biological and now adopted). With the grace that usually came with being a mythical creature, he could be in pretty much any social situation and charm the figurative pants off of anybody. But Fred could tell that he was only truly relaxed when he was with the people he trusted, and apparently the fanboy was one of those very few people. As their friendship had grown, Tadashi had also proved to be physically affectionate-nuzzling into him or playfully nipping at him when in fox form. As much as that might have been considered flirting by human standards, though, that was just the way foxes acted around friends and family members. Still, in spite of his greatest efforts to not let himself believe that his friend felt anything that was more than purely platonic for him, Fred was beginning to see an odd change in the other man's behavior. It had started out when Tadashi had come up behind him one day and, completely out of the blue, lightly kissed him on the cheek before running off without giving any explanation. That first time Fred had had a mini panic attack, and had to tell himself over and over again that it didn't mean anything. But, to his great surprise, the practice had continued, and eventually Fred had finally come to the conclusion that it must be some weird social custom Tadashi had picked up somewhere (after all, Fred's friend Honey Lemon kissed everyone on the cheek even though she was in a steady relationship with her best friend, GoGo), and so he just let it go. Part of him wanted to try returning one of the kisses and be able to play it off as a joke if Tadashi called him on it, but he just couldn't-the idea of kissing Tadashi and it not meaning anything was something he couldn't handle. So he put up with the slightly eccentric behavior his friend was showing, convincing himself that all the sudden added snuggling and other signs of affection were just natural things for a fox to do. After all, if Tadashi wanted something more he'd tell him-right?

Trying not to think too much about it, Fred smiles as he pushes open the door to the cafe and is greeted with a rush of warm, sweet-smelling air. Even though he usually didn't see much of the creatures who had transitioned into the human world after they had left the facility, he was definitely glad that Cass had been open, if not extremely supportive of his coming to see Tadashi whenever he had free time, and the cafe had almost become like a second home to him.

"Hello Fred!"

"Hey Aunt Cass!" The man grins and waves as he sees the woman at the counter waving to him.

"How are you today?" she asks, giving him a warm smile.

"Pretty good, thanks," Fred answers. "I was wondering if Tadashi's in right now?"

"When isn't he?" Aunt Cass answers wryly. So far Tadashi mainly stayed close to the house, either waiting tables in the cafe or spending time working on the "assignments" Fred gave him to help him learn more about the human world. He had a bit more catching up to do than Hiro because he was expected to act like an adult human-saying that he and Hiro had grown up in a remote village in Japan helped explain some of the cultural faux pas, but they were hoping to get him to the point where he could start taking some classes at a community college soon so that he could actually go on to have a career and eventually support himself. Aunt Cass made it clear that there wasn't any rush, but they all knew that Tadashi wouldn't be happy waiting tables for the rest of his life. He did show some promise in kitchen,so they thought maybe he could go on to take over the cafe for Aunt Cass eventually, but they all agreed that he should explore his options first before settling on a career.

"I guess better question-is he working today?" Fred tries again.

"No, he's not-he and Hiro are both off right now, so go ahead and head on up," Aunt Cass replies.

"Thanks Aunt Cass!" Somewhere along, Fred taking to treating her like his own aunt, and it was kind of nice, actually, considering he really didn't have any relatives that he knew of outside of his dad (or at least not ones that they actively talked to.)

Fred heads up the stairs leading into the main house, not really surprised when, as he reaches the top of the stairs, he just barely misses getting his feet trampled by two foxes chasing each other around the living room. Fortunately the smaller one notices him just in time and swerves around him, the larger one actually coming to a stop about a foot from him before quickly switching into human form. Fred couldn't help but smile at the fact that it almost reminded him of their first meeting, although the yukata the kitsune had been wearing then had since been replaced by skinny jeans, a v-neck t-shirt, and a blazer (one of the workers at the center had been responsible for helping the two kitsune find new wardrobes, and Fred blessed their sense of fashion for creating such a perfect look for the other man-it was honestly just about as attractive as the robes, if not more so.)

"Hey!" Tadashi greets him, standing up, his eyes seeming to be glowing slightly (Fred fights off the idea that they were actually glowing for him.)

"Hey yourself!" Fred answers, unable to keep from grinning back at him. "What were you two up to just now?"

"Hiro stole my homework," Tadashi sighs, gesturing to where the small fox on the other side of the room was happily tearing into papers that Fred recognized as the ones he had given the other man yesterday with information about careers in the engineering field. "He says I wasn't 'giving him enough attention' and so he was going to 'destroy the evil papers that were holding me captive'."

Fred can't help but laugh at that. "You can take the fox out of the forest but you can't take the forest out of the fox?" he says wryly.

"Something like that," Tadashi agrees, his gaze suddenly going intense as he stares into the other man's eyes and Fred finds himself frozen. The kitsune leans in and, unlike the light pecks from before, plants a lingering kiss to the place where Fred's neck met his jaw. The man lets out a low gasp, feeling like a jolt of electricity had just gone through him, and he was about to finally demand an explanation for this behavior when suddenly he hears Aunt Cass calling his and Tadashi's even meeting his eyes, Tadashi scampers down the stairs, leaving the other man staring after him.

"Did you-?" Fred turns to the remaining fox in the room, desperately hoping for some sort of explanation. Hiro just rolls his eyes at him, his look obviously saying "Figure it out", before slinking off up the stairs that led to the boys' room.

Not knowing what else to do, Fred heads back down to the cafe, wondering what Aunt Cass needed him for, only to come to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes going wide with surprise and even shock.

"Guys!" he cries, hurrying towards the trio of teenagers standing just inside the door. "W-what are you doing here?"

"We came to check on you," the short Korean woman answers, popping her gum loudly and making herself the unofficial spokesperson.

"C-check on me?" Fred asks in confusion. "What do you mean by-?"

"We've hardly seen you outside of school, Freddy," the tall, skinny blonde answers, clutching her bag to her side.

"Which is normal for you," adds the third, a tall, broadly built dark-skinned man with dreadlocks. "But we heard that you were spending a lot of time here and we thought… I dunno, that if you were maybe working here that maybe something was going on with your family and that you might need some help."

Oh man, if only his friends from high school knew the truth. They thought that he was working a job to help support his family? Part of him, like many times before, was tempted to just tell them that his family was actually loaded (thanks to the many businesses that his father ran on the side to support his real work) and that they didn't have to worry about him. But no, as sad as it was, the less his friends knew about his real life, the better. Still, he didn't want them being concerned about him, thinking that he was homeless or something, so he quickly answers, "No guys, I'm fine! I've just been doing-tutoring!"

"Tutoring?" the Korean woman asks in disbelief. " You ?"

"In English!" Fred answers defensively. "For a foreign exchange student." He gestures to Tadashi, who was hovering uncertainly in the background but also for some reason looking as if he was trying to decide if the others might pose some sort of threat.

"Oh, hi!" The blonde beams and waves at the other man. "I don't think I've seen you around school before!"

"He goes to a different school," Fred puts in quickly. "But he's staying here with Ms. Hamada, his aunt, and since she's a friend of my dad's they thought maybe it would be nice for me to help him out."

"That seems slightly convoluted but oddly plausible," the Korean woman sighs. "All right, I'll bite."

At the mention of "bite", Fred hears a quiet growl emanating from Tadashi's direction, and he quickly turns and reassures the kitsune, "It's just an expression! No actual biting is going on!"

Tadashi seems to relax slightly at that, nodding his head and backing down.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" the blonde prompts gently.

"Oh, um, right!" Fred agrees He'd honestly been hoping to avoid that awkwardness-he had no idea how he was supposed to bring these very different parts of his world together-but he knew that he couldn't get out of it without raising more suspicions, so he was going to have to do his best.

"Uh, guys, this is Tadashi," he say, waving somewhat awkwardly to the kitsune. "His aunt runs this cafe. Tadashi, this is Honey Lemon, GoGo, and Wasabi," he continues, gesturing to the blonde, the Korean woman, and the guy with dreads in turn. "And no, those are not their actual names, I am apparently just randomly good at coming up with nicknames that stick."

"I spilled wasabi on my shirt one time," the guy with dreads grumbles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Tadashi says, his tone saying that it wasn't quite "a pleasure" for him at all but giving them a formal bow nonetheless.

"Oh my gosh, he's adorable!" Honey Lemon gushes, bowing back. "Fred, why haven't you brought him around before?"

"I.. Um…" Fred stammers.

"Too embarrassed by your loser friends?" GoGo snarks.

"No!" Fred protests. "Just-he's still adjusting and I didn't want to overwhelm him when everything's so new!"

"Aw, we understand!" Honey Lemon hurries to say."Right guys?"

"Sure." GoGo shrugs, not seeming to really care one way or the other.

"Absolutely," Wasabi agrees, obviously not wanting to be the instigator of anything.

"Thank you." Fred flashes them a grateful smile.

"Still, maybe you can bring him by the comic shop sometime!" Honey Lemon adds. The mention of the group's usual hangout tugged at Fred's heart-he hadn't been there in what felt like ages, and it would be nice to just take a couple of hours off for something that wasn't school related or that involved saving a dying population...

"I'll definitely try to see if we can manage that," he promises.

"Great!" Honey Lemon beams at him. "Well, I know you guys were probably studying, so we'll let you get back to work. It was nice meeting you, Tadashi!" She waves, and the kitsune nods back to her, no trace of emotion on his face, just a blank slate-it was impossible for Fred to tell what he was thinking. Then the blonde leans forward and kisses Fred quickly on the cheek as she says brightly, "'Bye, Freddy! See you at school!"

Fred barely even has time to think about waving to his friends as they walk out the door because he could suddenly feel something shift in the atmosphere of the cafe. Instinctively glancing over at Tadashi, he was both startled and slightly alarmed to see a dangerous, slightly feral look in the other man's eyes and hear a low growl rumbling in the kitsune's throat. What the-?

" Tadashi ." Aunt Cass' voice suddenly rings out through the cafe, and both men jump at the noise, Tadashi looking like a dog that had just been scolded.

"I believe you have work to do," the older woman tells her "nephew", her voice firm as she comes over to him, somehow seeming to be dominating him despite the fact that she was a full head shorter than he was. "Back in the house ."

" Hai, Oba-san ," Tadashi answers, his head dropping but a slightly rebellious look in his eyes even as he slinks back towards the main house.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm kind of confused," Fred says slowly when he's gone. "Did I do something wrong…?"

"No," Aunt Cass sighs, her hand reaching up to distractedly up to push her bangs out of her face. "I just hoped this wasn't actually happening, but it look like it is, like it or not…"

"What's happening?" Fred asks, hating being left in the dark and wanting to know what was going on.

"I think you and I need to have a talk," Aunt Cass replies, turning towards the kitchen and waving for him to follow her.

"O-okay," Fred agrees, hoping it wasn't anything too serious. That hope was dashed almost immediately when the walk in and Aunt Cass asks her helper for the afternoon if she can cover for her for a little bit as she needs to deal with a "family matter". The girl agrees, and soon Fred finds himself alone and in an intense stare-off with Aunt Cass in the employee break room with the door shut and locked behind them.

"C-Can I ask-?" he starts, only to be cut off by Aunt Cass's sudden words:

"Tadashi has chosen you."

"He… I… What?" Fred asks, feeling extremely confused.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Aunt Cass sighs, shaking her head slightly. "Especially given the time of year and the amount of time he spends with you-he's been showing all the signs, although I wasn't sure because usually kitsune choose members of the opposite gender, but choosing someone of the same gender isn't entirely unheard of…"

"Y-you're not making much sense," Fred says uncertainly, although deep down he was already gathering her meaning.

"His mate. Tadashi has chosen you as his mate," Aunt Cass answers, her tone flat and emotionless.

"I-He-what?" Fred stammers. "N-no! You must be mistaken-his mate? He hasn't even shown any signs of liking me, let alone wanting me to… y'know…" He can't even finish the sentence-his heart and mind were racing, caught between trying to outright deny it and fighting down and odd excitement in his chest. No, now wasn't the time for that! This was serious , not the time for ridiculous schoolboy crushes getting in the way and muddling his judgment!

"Tadashi isn't used to human customs-he doesn't know how to show affection the way you might be used to, although I'm sure he probably has been trying to in the ways he knows how," Aunt Cass answers patiently. "But in the ways of a fox-he's been courting you for a while now. Have you noticed how protective he gets of you?"

"Well, yeah," Fred admits, thinking of a couple of times where Tadashi had randomly insisted on doing something for him, even something simple like using a knife, telling him it was too "dangerous" for him to let him do it.

"The way he's so attentive, always staying close by you whenever he's near you?"

"Yes…"

"And I'll bet you've been finding 'gifts' of prey outside your door."

"I-that was him? We thought there was a stray cat in the neighborhood who was getting into the house somehow!" Fred gasps, thinking of the times he'd found a dead birds or small rodents-once even a whole rabbit-when he opened his bedroom door in the morning.

"He was trying to prove himself to you, to show you that he could provide for you," Aunt Cass answers, allowing herself a slight smile. "I'll warrant that's also why he's been working so hard at the homework you give him-he's trying to find a way that he can do that just as much in the human world as in his natural habitat."

"B-but that…" Fred whispers, his head reeling.

"It's also why he's gotten so possessive lately-why I had to call him off when he saw your friend today as a potential 'threat'. Foxes get extremely territorial, especially when they think someone is threatening their claim on a mate," Aunt Cass continues.

"But-I… Honey Lemon and I aren't even-!" Fred protests. It was the only thing that was actually able to come out of his mouth at the moment.

"Yes, but Tadashi didn't know that," Aunt Cass answers softly. "I'm not saying that it was right, but his mating season instincts are really strong right now and, as human as he is, he can't fight them, at least not without a great deal of effort-an almost painful amount of effort."

"I… W-wow…" Fred finally breathes, letting all of this sink in. "I… What am I supposed to do?" he finally asks quietly.

"That's really up to you," Aunt Cass answers.

"Wow, that's really helpful," Fred deadpans. He didn't mean to be rude or sarcastic, but he was extremely stressed out at the moment and it just came out that way. This was so much to take in. Tadashi didn't just like him in the cutesy infatuation with a new crush way. He wanted him-he wanted him in that way, and not just for that, but as his mate, and he'd apparently been showing it for a while but Fred had been either too blind or stubborn to see it. And right now the half-dragon was so mixed up in his head that he didn't know what he truly felt except slightly scared at the enormity of it all.

"I think a good first step would be talking to Tadashi about this," Aunt Cass finally says softly. "As much as his instincts and hormones are going crazy right now, he loves you and I know he would never do anything if he thought it would hurt you in any way."

"H-he loves me?" Fred whispers-oh wow, that just took this to a whole new level!

"He wouldn't be doing all of this if he didn't," Aunt Cass answers with a warm smile. "That's why he's been working so hard to do everything he can think of to please you."

"I-I can't believe I didn't even realize," Fred says, shaking his head slightly. "I… I feel like an idiot, I should have known… I should have-"

"You aren't accustomed to our ways-don't be so hard on yourself," Aunt Cass answers, reaching over and lightly squeezing his hand. "All I can ask is that, whatever your decision is… Please be gentle with him. As much as you couldn't have known about him falling in love with you, in a way you are responsible for him."

"How's that?" Fred asks, feeling confused and scared at the same time.

"There's an old saying, 'What you tame, you become responsible for,'" Aunt Cass replies. "Intentional or not, you tamed a kitsune-not an easy feat, but not something to be taken lightly either. He was a wild creature, Fred, but now, if you called, he would follow you to the ends of the Earth. Having such an attachment to a human… It makes him vulnerable. A wild fox can run from danger, and a wild mate can keep up with them. If a fox becomes bonded with a human, their instinct is to protect them, no matter what the cost to themselves."

Fred was going to point out that technically he wasn't human, but he hadn't gotten around to explaining that fact to her yet, and the truth was that, even though he was a dragon, he'd never had to learn how to defend himself. If he was in danger, he honestly had no doubt now that Tadashi would come to his aid, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

"I… I think I need to go talk to Tadashi," Fred finally says.

"Do you need some time to collect your thoughts first?" Aunt Cass asks gently.

"No, I've honestly always been a 'think on my feet' kind of person," Fred admits with a smile that was just a bit forced. "T-thank you for telling me all of this. And for, well… everything."

"Of course." Aunt Cass smiles back, but he can see the worry in her eyes as he stands to go.

Head still whirling slightly, Fred makes his way automatically up the stairs and into the living room. As just half an hour earlier (had it only been half an hour? It felt like years), he pauses at the top, uncertain of what he'd find there. And again, what he found wasn't completely surprising-Tadashi was sitting on the couch alone, as if waiting for him.

"H-hey," Fred barely manages to get out, his heart thumping erratically.

"Hey," Tadashi answers softly, those gorgeous pools of brown melting him even as he gently pats the seat next to him, motioning for Fred to join him. Without even thinking about it, Fred does so, sliding onto the couch, not quite able to meet his eyes.

"So, u-um…" Fred finally starts shakily, but Tadashi doesn't let him get very far.

"I heard you and Aunt Cass talking downstairs," he says quietly.

"Y-you-How?" Fred gasps.

Tadashi flashes him a slight smile, gesturing as his human ear briefly morphs into that of a fox and then back.

"R-right, canine hearing," Fred says with a shaky smile of his own.

"Yeah." Tadashi agrees, nodding his head. He didn't seem angry or upset-his expression was as calm as ever, although there might have been a hint of fear in his eyes.

"So, I guess you heard what she said about you-about what she thought you… and me…"

"Yes." The same almost infuriatingly calm tone.

"I-is it true?" Fred finally manages to get out. "D-do you want me as your mate?" His body stiffens as he waits for the reply.

"Yes." Tadashi's tone is matter-of-fact, but there is slight tenderness in his eyes now. "For a long time now."

"W-why didn't you tell me?" Fred asks, barely trusting his own voice.

"I thought I was making it obvious," Tadashi answers with a wry smile. "I guess I was mistaken, and I apologize for that."

"Y-you don't need to apologize!" Fred answers. "I-I feel like I need to be the one apologizing!"

"For what?" Tadashi asks, the cautious fear back.

"F-for not realizing sooner… For being too stubborn to allow myself to believe that someone… Someone as wonderful as you could ever want me," Fred answers, his voice breaking slightly at the end.

"Oh, Fred…" Moments later, Tadashi's lips are pressing against his cheek, warm and loving, with just a hint of a playful nip as he pulls away. "Of course I want you. You're so amazing-how could I not?"

"I-I'm really not…" Fred starts to protest, blushing profusely.

"Sh." Tadashi presses a soft hand to his lips. "You are. Why do you think I've been fighting so hard for you?"

"I-I still don't see what on Earth you see in me," Fred answers, although it was hard to concentrate with those gorgeous eyes staring down at him with pure love shining in them.

"I see someone who is beautiful and caring and self-sacrificing-someone who works so hard to take care of everyone around them and deserves to finally have someone taking care of them. And I want to. Damnit, Fred, I want to take care of you. I want you to know every day how much I love you and to help you see how special you truly are. The only question is-do you think you could ever feel even just a little bit the same way back?"

Honestly, up until then Fred had had no idea-he'd known that he'd liked Tadashi from the moment he'd laid eyes on him. But love him? It was such a strong word. But then he thought back on all the time he had spent with Tadashi-teaching the kitsune about being human, laughing together over some of his ridiculous mistakes, the fun of introducing him to Disney movies on "the magic box" for the first time, seeing him in fox form stretched out gracefully on the couch with his head in his lap as he gently stroked that gorgeous red fur-and suddenly he knew. All of that time, whether he realized it or not, he had been falling in love with him. And finally finding out was like opening a gift that he'd never expected to receive but was the fulfillment of every one of his hopes and dreams.

"Yes," Fred finally breathes, reaching over to take Tadashi's hands in his own.

"Yes?" Tadashi asks, his eyes lighting up with joy.

"Yes," Fred answers, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "Of course I do."

"Fred…" He feels Tadashi's warm breath on his ear. It tickles, but he doesn't pull away,-he was finally exactly where he was meant to be, in the arms of the man he loved, now and for forever.

"You've just made me the happiest kitsune who has ever walked this Earth," Tadashi finally whispers tenderly into his ear.

"And you've just made me the happiest dragon ever," Fred answers, smiling up at him before forcing himself to pull away slightly. There was one last thing he needed to get off of his chest. "D-Dashi…" He dares to use the nickname that Tadashi only let those who were extremely close to him call him, and the kitsune doesn't show any signs of minding it at all.

"Yes?" Tadashi gently prompts, still keeping a firm hold on his hands.

"I-I love you. Insanely much," Fred answers, trying to keep his voice steady. "And someday-someday I want everything for us. But right now… I feel like becoming your mate would be too soon. I'm still in high school, for pete's sake-granted I'm about to graduate, but still! And you're still trying to get used to human life… As much as I would love for us to be able to settle down to spend the rest of our lives together, I just don't think it's time. Beyond that, I want us to get a chance to know each other-well, to get to know each other better, now that we know how we both feel about each other. I-I know this is hard for you, with your instincts and everything, but-"

"Fred." Tadashi cuts him off again before giving him a warm smile. "If that's what you want, then we can wait. Of course we can wait-I've waited this long to find you, a little more time waiting isn't going to kill me."

"B-but what your aunt said about your instincts…" Fred says uncertainly.

"I'll have to be careful until mating season is over, but that's usually over by the end of February," Tadashi answer calmly. "I think I can stand it-if you'll do one thing for me."

"U-um, s-sure," Fred answers, willing to do pretty much anything for him at this point.

"All right." Tadashi smiles and then, to the other man's surprise, reaches beneath his shirt and pulls out a small golden chain with a charm of a Japanese character on it. Fred couldn't remember a time when he hadn't seen him wearing it, but now Tadashi lifts the chain over his head before carefully slipping it over Fred's, settling it gently around his neck.

"W-what-?" Fred asks, wondering what exactly was going on.

"I'd like you to wear it, if you're willing," Tadashi answers, giving him a warm look. "It's been in my family for generations. My dad gave it to my mom when they became mates, and it was the last thing they gave me before-well, you know. They said I was supposed to give it to my mate whenever I found her or him. And I know you said you're not ready to make everything official yet, and you know I said I'd be willing to wait. But until the time comes-this is sort of a promise from me to you that I'm going to be working my hardest to become a worthy mate for you. And I was hoping that maybe you'd be willing to wear it as a sign that you'll be loyal to me for as long as I'm loyal to you?"

"Oh, Dashi…" Fred whispers, almost wanting to say that he couldn't accept something so valuable. But he could see that Tadashi genuinely wanted him to have it, and deep down in his heart, he knew that he wanted to wear it-to show to the man he loved that he was willing to commit to him as well. "Yes," he finally whispers. "I-I'd be honored to wear it."

"You would?" Tadashi's eyes light up with happiness.

"Yes," Fred agrees, gently nuzzling into him.

Tadashi smiles down at him, his hand lightly stroking his hair before asking, "I believe there is some human custom about kissing the person you are in love with-do you want to give it a try?"

"P-please," Fred answers eagerly, melting under those gorgeous eyes again.

And so Tadashi leans down and presses his lips firmly against Fred's, his arms wrapping tightly around him and drawing him so close that the man could smell his sweet, slightly musky scent.

Perfect , Fred thinks as he kisses him back. Absolutely perfect.


End file.
